A former Oxford Township man was found dead Sunday in a southeastern Florida canal.

Daniel Dechert, 45, was a retired New Jersey State Police sergeant who had moved from the Garden State to Deerfield Beach, Fla., but not before becoming involved in a legal dispute with members of the Oxford Township Police Department.

The South Florida Sentinel reported that Dechert's body turned up in a Lighthouse Point, Fla., canal, which is south of his home. The cause and manner of his death are under investigation.

Dechert sued the police department, alleging he and his friend, Mike Gerhart, were being targeted by Oxford patrolman for unjustified traffic stops. The suit is still unresolved.